January 22, 2005

"If Vermont Teddy Bear had produced a bear with a noose around its neck saying, 'I'd love to hang with you,' and called it a Ku Klux Klan teddy bear, the response would be overwhelming disgust and horror," said Anne Donahue, a Republican state representative.

Interesting that the offended politicians are Republicans.

UPDATE: Here's another article, with some detail about the woman who started the petition drive to stop the company from making the bear:

As the mother of a mentally ill 13-year-old boy, [the woman] has experienced the trauma of watching her son, [name deleted] being wrapped in a mechanical restraint or straight jacket [sic].

Along with her husband, [name deleted], she also has signed commitment reports for [the boy's] four separate psychiatric hospitalizations.

"There is a tremendous stigma in raising a child with complex mental illness, and I feel strongly that as a family we need to educate people in our communities to elevate mental disabilities to the same level of respect and care of those who are physically disabled," she explains.

I deleted the names. It seems to me that people should keep the medical records of their minor children private. I really don't understand being this upset about a slight or nonexistent increase in stigma and then making a spectacle of yourself opposing a teddy bear.